The present invention relates to devices for treating elements with fluid within an enclosed cabinet.
Cabinet style washers are used in commercial and industrial applications to clean equipment and products in batches. Typically the parts to be cleaned will be loaded on a rack of a cart exterior to the cabinet, and then brought into the cabinet for cleaning. Because the cleaning fluid, which can be costly, is recirculated throughout the cleaning cycle, fluid will be collected and recirculated from a sump which is located beneath the level of the rack, thus requiring that the sump be recessed into the floor, or that the rack travel by ramp or lift to the level of the cabinet. If a sump is to be located at or above floor level in such a system, a suction pump is required to bring the liquid from its point of collection to the sump. Ramps, lifts, and sumps add cost to the installation. Moreover, ramps and lifts require additional space and hence add cost. In addition extra safety precautions must be taken when working with ramps and lifts to avoid inherent hazards. Recessed sumps can flood causing damage to nearby electrical equipment. Another approach uses nested carts comprising a first wheeled cart which is releasably mounted to an underlying second wheeled cart. The assembly is then brought adjacent to a cabinet washer with an elevated wash chamber, and the first cart is then rolled into and out of the wash chamber.
What is needed is a fluid treatment assembly which permits for the convenient treatment of cart mounted elements while obviating the need for a below grade sump, ramp, lift, or multiple nested carts.